INFLUENCERS ER SOM INFLUENSA": A CASE STUDY OF MALAYSIAN SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCER CONTENT DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

In Norway, there is a common joke that has been circulating among its digital citizens: influencers are like the flu. Metaphorically explained, the statement refers to Norwegian influencers whose postings spread like wildfire as they feverishly build trust and drive engagement. Similarly, Malaysian social influencers have attracted legions of followers and established credibility through their online postings. To the average social media users, influencers have their own pull factors causing them to keep coming back to check the latest updates, like and share them and perhaps leave some comments too. Hence, the researchers aim to find out the ways these social media influencers (SMI) curate their engaging content and construct a conceptual framework based on Elaboration Likelihood Method (ELM). Using qualitative approach, structured interview questions were given to one well-known, active SMI as the subject of this case study. communication platform. Thematic analysis is applied on the responses to generate common ideas or patterns in the subjects’ choice of content, length of post and other attributive factors. An expansion of ELM theory is constructed based on the findings which will also contribute to the expanding literature of social media theory and other theory of persuasive communication.